I Got You
by vmggfan
Summary: Rory regrets some biting comments she made to Tristan. A tentative friendship forms and a relationship ends. What should have happened in Run Away, Little Boy.
1. There's Beauty In the Breakdown

Title: I Got You

Pairing: Tristan/Rory

Rating: PG-13; language, sexual innuendos (but really, we're talking trory here. How can you not write a trory without Tristan making suggestive comments?)

Summary: Rory regrets some biting comments she made to Tristan. A tentative friendship forms and a relationship ends. What should have happened in Run Away, Little Boy.

Disclaimer: If it were up to me, I, and not Amy Sherman-Palladino, would own Gilmore Girls. But then again, I'm sure a lot of Trory fans say the same thing. Yes, I acknowledge that Tristan is a hottie- the hair is so sexy. But the second I remember it's Chad Michael Murray and he cheated on Sophia Bush (it's just wrong, I'm not a Sophia Bush fan), I become a little depressed. Okay, enough of that too. You get the point: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Author's beginning note: I was watching Run Away, Little Boy the other day and inspiration struck me. No, it did not hurt (okay, that was lame). Anyways, this is my first fic so please be nice. Well, actually, this my first fic that I've been able to finish and be satisfied with (I'm a perfectionist when it comes to things like this. Grammar and spelling mistakes irk me to no end among many, many things). I hope you like it. The quotes in italics are from the show, you know, since plagiarism is bad and all that stuff. I wouldn't want to take credit for Amy Sherman-Palladino's brilliant work. And of course, there's the disclaimer above to be on the safe side. Okay, enough rambling. This begins right after Dean has left Miss Patty's during the rehearsal.

"_You know,"_ Tristan remarked, walking up to Rory, _"I noticed you didn't cry when you kissed him. I'm starting to feel a little insecure."_

"_What is wrong with you?!"_ Rory exclaimed.

"_Ooo…I think I liked you better comatose."_

"_I thought you weren't going to say anything."_

"_Did I say that?"_ Tristan cocked his head to the side in mock thought, pointing to himself.

"_You make it impossible for anyone to be nice to you," _Rory said angrily. Without thinking, she allowed the emotional roller coaster she had been on the past day affect her actions. _"No wonder you had to join our group. Anyone who's actually suffered the experience of going out with you would know better,"_ she spat cruelly.

Tristan's pager went off just as Rory's words started to sink in. When he met Rory's eyes again, she saw reckless abandonment displayed in his eyes. "_Gee, I wish we could continue your analysis of how pathetic I am,"_ Tristan said bitterly and sarcastically as he grabbed his jacket, _"Unfortunately, I have to meet some friends."_

As Tristan walked away, Rory was already regretting what she had said. Suddenly Paris rushed by, calling after Tristan. _"Where are you going?!"_ Paris turned to Rory. _"Where is he going?!"_

In that split second, Rory made a decision. She grabbed her own jacket and grabbed Paris by the shoulder to stop her from leaving. "Paris, wait. I'll go talk to him." Paris, too stunned to say anything, simply stood in her tracks by the door as Rory rushed out into the cold night after Tristan, stumbling to put on her jacket.

She looked around and saw Tristan opening the door of his silver Mercedes across the street.

"Tristan, wait!" Rory shouted as she rushed across the street.

Tristan turned around and froze, surprised to see her. No one had ever gone after him before. No one had ever given his feelings a second thought. "Don't get your hopes up, DuGrey," he told himself.

"What do you want?" he spat out nastily.

A hurt look crossed Rory's face. "Oh, um…" she looked off in space, suddenly forgetting exactly what she was going to say.

And once again, Tristan's hopes were crushed. "Is that all?" Tristan asked, opening the door further to get inside the car.

"No!" Rory exclaimed, grabbing him by his shirt to stop him from getting in the car. Embarrassed by the questioning look Tristan gave her, she looked away as she let go of his shirt. "I'm sorry. That's what I wanted to say," she muttered. Even though she seemed to have said the words somewhat reluctantly, Tristan knew that she genuinely meant them.

Tristan stared at her, shocked. This girl never seized to amaze him. "For what?"

"For what I said. I didn't mean it. I was just…frustrated. Yeah, I admit I was mad at you quite a bit, but I was also mad at Dean for being all jealous and demanding and also at Paris for bringing everyone here even after I told her I like to keep my school life and home life separate and I was also mad at myself 'cause I'm not handling all this well and normally I handle stuff better than this and I don't understand why I'm not handling everything better. Instead of handling this better, I'm taking it out on you, and you don't deserve that, even if you are being kind of a jerk. But even when someone's being a jerk, they don't deserve to get yelled at about stuff that's not true and isn't even meant and," Rory's rambling was cut off by Tristan's hand being held up.

"Okay," he said slowly, trying to digest everything that Rory just said. "Hold on, let me say a few things before I forget what you just said." He gathered his thoughts and continued. "So, you're…sorry?" Rory noted absentmindedly that he made it seem as though the concept was foreign to him.

Rory looked at him and nodded. "Yeah."

He nodded as well, not at all used to hearing the words. "You were just…frustrated?"

"And I didn't mean to take it out on you," she added quickly.

"So, you're saying that wasn't all directed at me?" he continued, still taken aback.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. It was directed at Paris, a little at my mom since she's been focusing so much on that damn wedding present," Tristan was confused by her statement but allowed her to continue. "Oh, and at Dean since he made such a big deal about you being in the group with me, making it seem like I've betrayed him in some way and should be wearing a huge red letter A on the front of my shirt. But that reference doesn't really work here since I'm not _married_ to him."

"Right," Tristan affirmed, ruffling his hair.

"And I wanted to talk to you about our conversation earlier today. In the hall?" Rory looked Tristan in the eyes to make sure he was on the same page as she was.

"Great, this again," Tristan mumbled under his breath. "What about it?" he asked as he moved his eyes to stare at the fascinating road they were standing on.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, lecturing you like I did about who you should and shouldn't be friends with."

Tristan noticed the road was much cleaner than Hartford's. "Well, it is a small town," he reasoned to himself.

"It's up to you who you are friends with, and I shouldn't try to tell you otherwise. No one should," Rory continued. "But I just wanted to let you know that I don't think that Duncan and Bowman are good enough friends for you. I just think you're smarter and better than they are, is all. I realize you didn't ask for my opinion on the matter, but I've been worried about you."

Tristan jerked his eyes to hers. "You've been worried about me?" he blurted out in disbelief before he could think.

"Well…yeah," Rory said lamely, embarrassed at his reaction.

"Why, Mary, I didn't know you cared," he said jokingly, trying to regain his composure.

"Yeah, well, I do," she said quietly, sensing that it was important to him to find out if she did care. She was not at all upset by his regression to his immature approach and the nickname that she secretly had a soft spot for in the process of doing so.

They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

Tristan was the one to break the silence. "Thanks." When Rory looked at him questioningly, he supplied an explanation. "It's nice to know someone does. Care, I mean. Not many do, if any." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

Rory nodded, not sure what else to do or say.

Tristan shut the driver's door and pressed the lock button on his keys. The two beeps the car emitted signaled that he was successful in locking the car. Stuffing the keys into his jacket pocket, he turned to Rory. "So…Shall we?" he pointed to Miss Patty's studio.

Rory smiled, nodding.

As the pair headed back to the studio with Tristan's hand placed gently on the small of Rory's back, Rory couldn't help but notice the warmth coming from his touch.

Rory gave Lane a reassuring smile before turning her attention back to her mom. The next thing she knew, Paris appeared out of nowhere. _"I need you."_ Paris grabbed Rory by the arm and pulled her towards the hallway. _"He's not here!"_ Paris exclaimed.

"_Who's not here?"_ Rory asked in confusion.

"_Tristan!"_ Paris cried. _"I've looked everywhere. I've called his home, his cell. I've called three girls I know he's seeing."_

A faint wave of jealousy passed through Rory's stomach. She pushed it aside, focusing more on the task at hand: finding Tristan.

"Why Paris, I didn't know you thought so low of me," Tristan cut in as he appeared in the doorway of the empty classroom next to the two girls, fixing the collar of his costume. Rory made a mental note to compliment her mother on the costumes after drifting her eyes over Tristan. "I can restrain myself to one girl. In fact, I frown upon those who don't."

"What were you doing in there?" Paris demanded, furious.

"Relax, Paris. I just wanted to be alone. (A/N: No, that was NOT intended to be dirty.) I didn't realize you were looking for me until I heard your little rant outside the door."

"Well, we have twenty minutes. I swear, if you mess this up, I'll castrate you," Paris threatened before stalking off.

Tristan turned to Rory. "Well, _now_ I'm not nervous," he joked.

Rory smiled mockingly. "Don't worry, I think the female population of Chilton will murder Paris if she so much as _thinks_ to make that threat become a reality."

"You make it sound like I sleep with every girl I date," Tristan chuckled.

"Well, from what I hear in the locker room, I had gotten that impression," Rory offered as an explanation for her previous statement.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear. Besides, I'm not _that_ shallow, Mary."

"You make that very hard to believe sometimes."

"That hurts, you know. I don't know how I'll ever recover from your stinging remarks," Tristan teased.

"Something tells me you'll find a way to." Rory, recognizing the voice as Dean's, turned to face him.

"Dean, hi," she gave him a feeble smile.

Dean did not return the greeting, simply staring Tristan in the eyes as if challenging him. The two males then proceeded to have a staring contest.

"Hey, looks like we've got a little party going on here. Why wasn't I invited?" Lorelai quipped, walking up to the trio.

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed, relieved.

"Hey, sweets." Lorelai wrapped an arm around Rory, squeezing her shoulder. "You looked like you needed some saving," she whispered into her daughter's ear.

Rory gave her an appreciative smile.

"Now I know you, and I know Dean. Now, are you going to introduce me to the pretty blond boy here, hun?" Lorelai asked, pointing to Tristan.

"Tristan Dugrey," Tristan held out his hand to shake Lorelai's, a charming smile on his face.

"Huh," Lorelai said dumbly, recognizing the name. She shook his hand and said nothing more.

"Mom, is Jess rubbing off on you?" Rory mocked.

"Oh, right. The name's Lorelai; none of that Ms. Gilmore crap I know you've been trained to say."

"Ladies and gentlemen, my mother, Lorelai Gilmore," Rory said, rolling her eyes.

Tristan chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Lorelai."

"I'll let you know if it's nice to meet you in a little bit, when I've decided if you should be forgiven for harassing my daughter."

"Oh. That." Tristan said nonchalantly, waving a hand in dismissal.

Lorelai smiled and then noticed Dean standing in silence. "Hey, Dean, what's with the silent treatment? Say something!"

"Something," he said tightly, still glaring at Tristan.

"Smartass," Lorelai stage whispered.

"Rory! Tristan! Get over here!" Paris barked from down the hall, poking her head out from the backstage curtain.

"Geez, that girl is like one of those people with the whips yelling 'Mush! Mush!' to the pack of dogs dragging her little sleigh thing,"

"Mom, you realize that made no sense, right?"

"I know, just go with it."

Rory gave both her mom and Dean a quick peck on the cheek.

"Good luck, sweets. You too, Bible Boy."

"Bible-"

Lorelai cut him off before Tristan could inquire as to the meaning of the nickname. "Mush! Mush!" She waved him off.

Tristan laughed and rushed to catch up with Rory.

"Bible Boy?" Tristan asked.

"My mom made it up," Rory said defensively. "After my first day here when you called me Mary."

"That means you talk about me with her. I'm flattered." Tristan taunted, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Places people, one minute!" Paris shouted, rushing by.

"What I say about you is not complimentary, mister," Rory replied.

"Oh, that reminds me. I haven't complimented you on just how exquisite you look in that dress," Tristan lowered his voice, leaning close to Rory as to invade her personal space. "Now, if only it was cut a little lower," he said huskily into her ear, brushing a finger down from Rory's neck to just above the top of the dress, causing tingles to race across Rory's skin and her cheeks to redden considerably.

Before Rory could muster a response, Tristan had walked away to take his place.

By the time the curtain had risen, Rory had just managed to get her breathing –and her heart rate- back to normal.

The play went off without a problem. That is, until the death scene.

"Oh true apothecary, thy drugs are quick," Tristan choked out. Rory had to admit that he was doing a pretty remarkable job considering he had slacked off during rehearsals. "Thus, with a kiss, I die." Tristan leaned down and placed his lips on Rory's.

Enter problem.

Instead of the blank nothingness Rory expected to feel, she felt electricity surge through her entire body, making her dizzy. She was sure that had the table not been there, she would have fallen to the floor from the weakness in her knees that she was feeling.

After what seemed like an eternity but what Rory knew was really only a second, maybe two, Tristan removed his lips from hers, his teeth grazing her bottom lip, and laid his head on her chest, supposedly dead. Rory's breathing was left irregular, causing her upper body to heave up and down slightly. It did not help that Tristan's lips were touching her neck. She was almost positive he was smirking too. "The little bastard," she thought.

After a few moments of Rory doing nothing, Tristan decided to do her a favor and remind her that the play was not over yet. "Mary, don't you have to wake up and kill yourself now?" he whispered, careful not to move anything but his lips. Rory let out a small moan audible only to Tristan from the sensation of his lips moving against her neck. The hand that wasn't facing the audience tightened its hold on her dress. She felt Tristan's lips shift into a full-blown smirk.

Rory regained her composure and managed to "awaken" as though the long dramatic pause had been completely intentional.

When the curtain fell, Paris was on them in the blink of an eye. "Gilmore! What the _hell_ was with that extensive pause after the kiss?! Did I not say to count to three Mississippi; no more, no less?!"

Rory was at a loss of what to say so she simply muttered, "Sorry, Paris."

"Sorry?! That's all you have to say for yourself?!" Paris fumed.

"Paris, let it go, I thought it was perfect. The extra few seconds made it more dramatic," Louis said. Rory shot Louis a grateful look.

"You really think so?" Paris asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I was sitting on the edge of my seat," Brad added.

"Who asked you?" Paris snapped harshly, turning to him menacingly. Brad shrunk at least six inches and ran off in the opposite direction.

"Just calm down, Paris. I think we did great," Tristan tried his best to sound soothing.

Lorelai rushed in at that moment. "You guys were awesome!" she gushed, grinning from ear.

"See?" Tristan said.

Paris rushed to Lorelai to grill her about the outcome of the play.

Rory let out a relieved sigh, hoisted herself onto the table, and closed her eyes.

"Glad it's over?"

Rory didn't have to open her eyes to recognize the voice as Tristan's, so she simply nodded. She felt him move closer to her and opened her eyes to see that he was next to her, leaning his back against the table.

He looked her in the eyes and gave her a small smile. She returned the gesture.

"I wouldn't have minded hearing you moan just one more time, though," Tristan said, his voice low, satisfied when he saw Rory blush. "As long as you moaned my name."

"I am never going to live that down, am I?" Rory asked, lowering her eyes to the ground.

"Not if I can help it. Plus, it was quite the turn on."

Rory snapped her eyes to his, taking a sharp breath when she saw how his blue eyes had darkened noticeably.

"I couldn't help it. I probably would've done the same thing had _Paris_ done it," she defended lamely after a moment.

"Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because…Oh, God, this is embarrassing…" Rory muttered.

"Because why?" Tristan urged her to continue.

"Because it was my neck, okay? I'm sensitive there!" she whispered harshly.

Tristan smirked. There was a brief pause. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

"You'll have to keep _what_ in mind?"

Both turned to see Dean. Correction: they turned to see Angry Dean; Jealous Dean.

"What is with you and butting into people's private conversations?" Tristan observed. "And honestly, the whole caveman act is getting a little tiresome."

"That was Act II's theme," Rory giggled. When Tristan looked at her in confusion, she clarified. "Cavemen."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope, it was Shakespeare with a ton of grunting. It was hilarious," Rory tried to control herself from laughing uncontrollably. Tristan was having trouble doing the same.

Dean cleared his throat. "Rory, can I talk to you?"

"Uh oh, someone's in trouble," Tristan whispered mischievously to Rory.

Rory got off the table and walked to Dean. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Dean cried incredulously. "I'll tell you what's wrong. It's him!" He pointed violently in the direction of Tristan, who was trying to look innocent by rubbing his fingernails against his shirt and then pretending to inspect them carefully.

Rory stifled her laughter at the sight of Tristan. "What about him?"

"First of all, I didn't know you guys were actually going to kiss."

"Dean, it's _Romeo and Juliet_," Rory pointed out.

"I know that, Rory. But it's not just that. I thought you said you didn't like the guy? Why are you all nice and buddy-buddy with him all of a sudden?"

Rory snapped, sick of Dean's Rory's-mine-not-anyone-else's pretense. "Well excuse me for trying to make friends with someone. I figured you'd understand since you know I don't have _any_ friends at Chilton, but I guess trying to make _hell_ a little easier to deal with isn't okay with you. Oh, and another thing, this whole jealous act is starting to get a little tiring."

"What are you talking about?"

"You! You're always overreacting when it comes to him!" Rory shouted.

"I told you before- he has a thing for you, Rory."

"No, he doesn't. He has a different girl plastered against my locker every day, sometimes twice a day! You want me to get you one of them? I'm sure I can find one of them for you in seconds!"

"Well, if that's the case, then he was trying to make you jealous."

By now, a group of people had gathered around the couple. Lorelai was struggling to get to the front since people refused to part for her, no matter what kind of threat she threw at them.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dean," Rory said passively.

"And why did he have to be in your group?" Dean demanded crossly.

"He had ex-girlfriends in all the other groups, can you blame him for wanting to be in the only group that didn't have someone who wanted to claw his eyes out?"

"Are you really that stupid, Rory?!" Dean bellowed. Lorelai lunged forward, doubling her efforts.

Rory gaped at him, speechless. The entire room became still.

"Now, I could be wrong, but did I just hear you call Rory Gilmore, first-in-Chilton's-junior-class, stupid?" Tristan asked coldly, walking up to the pair. "That can't _possibly_ be right because someone would have to be pretty damn _stupid_ to do that." Lorelai ceased her efforts, gazing at Tristan respectfully.

"Stay out of this, accountant," Dean spat out.

"You know, you need some new material," Tristan fired back.

"Stop! Just stop!" Rory screamed, stretching her arms out between the two males.

Rory dropped her arms but Dean and Tristan continued glaring at one another, Dean gasping for air slightly from the screaming match. Rory stood in thought for a full minute before turning to Dean.

"We're through," she stated simply, looking him straight in the eyes and walked away from him.

"Rory!" Dean called after her. He stepped forth to go after her but was stopped by Tristan's firmly placed hand on his chest.

"Get your hands off me!" Dean cried angrily, shoving Tristan's hand away.

"No," Tristan said defiantly, replacing his hand. "You're not going after her. You've hurt her enough."

Dean, suddenly exhausted, realized Tristan was right. He nodded sadly and walked in the direction of the parking lot.

Once Dean was out of sight, Tristan rushed out of the room, past the crowd, and towards the girls' bathroom. He slammed the door open, checked under every stall, and let out a frustrated growl when he found that Rory wasn't there. He racked his brain, thinking of where she might've gone.

Suddenly, he got an idea. It wasn't very likely she would actually be there, but it was worth a shot. He whipped around and practically flew out of the bathroom and into Lorelai.

"Sorry, Lorelai," he muttered, dashing past her.

"Tristan!" she called after him. He turned back to Lorelai, hoping it would only take a second. "It was an _honor_ to have met you," Lorelai said passionately.

Tristan's spirit soared. "Thank you," he whispered.

Lorelai grinned. "Go ahead; go find her."

Tristan smiled and dashed down the hall and out to the courtyard. He found Rory precisely where he had been thinking: the bench where they had talked about him dating Paris.

He stopped, struggling to catch his breath. He sat down next to her. Unsure of what to say, he gave it a shot.

"Hey, Mare."

He heard her sob softly for another moment, before flinging her arms around him, gripping him to her as if he would vanish at any second.

Taken aback, Tristan hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Mare," he whispered into her ear as he started to stroke her hair soothingly, "I got you. You'll be okay, I promise. I got you."

Author's End Note: So. That's it. If you like it, hit the pretty review button below and if I get enough inspiration, I might add another chapter. But no guarantees since inspiration comes far and in between for me… But I do have a few ideas for a next chapter and it doesn't hurt to give me a little motivation to keep writing… And by the way, I don't mind constructive criticism. You know "You should try to work on…", etc. Not "Your writing sucks, you should go die."


	2. I'll Be Your Crying Shoulder

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I _still_ don't own Gilmore Girls. tears This chapter's title is from Goo Goo Dolls' "I'll Be". So, that's not mine either.

**Author's Beginning Note**: Sorry for the wait! I ran into a few problems before I could write this chapter:

1. The main one was that I did not go to my dad's house for a while. That was a problem because I had left my Season two set there and it's also the only place I can upload to fanfiction.

2. I couldn't decide which direction to go for this chapter (I had a few different ideas).

3. I've been incredibly stressed out and semi-depressed.

4. I write best in the middle of the night (since I have to get up for school at 6 o' clock in the morning, it is a problem.) Which brings me to my next point…

5. School.

I know that excuses don't make up for the wait at all, but I hope this chapter was worth waiting for. Anyways- I would like to thank everyone who read and especially those who reviewed the last chapter. I was incredibly surprised (and happy!) with the response- over 50 reviews for a single chapter from a new author… That's incredible! Special thanks go out to the reviewers who gave me tips on what to work on. I do have to say this before I go on with the chapter: I was not satisfied with how I ended the last chapter. I think it was too fluffy and too cliché. And since I can't stand extreme fluffiness or clichés (as it is one of the reasons I decided to write my own story) I'm hoping that this chapter will justify last chapter's ending enough to forgive myself… Okay, I just read that last sentence and it was incredibly hard to follow… Anyways, on with the story! Once again, italicswords from Run Away Little Boy; not mine.

I noticed some mistakes from last chapter, and being the OCD person I am, I had to point them out: Rory already had her jacket on; she didn't need to grab it before going after Tristan (after Rory yells at him) AND I spelt Louise as Louis.

Chapter Two: I'll Be Your Crying Shoulder

Rory let it all out. She cried and cried and cried. She didn't care that her mom or Lane might be looking for her, that she was probably going to be the talk of school tomorrow after her very public breakup at school, or that Tristan was seeing her so weak. Okay, so maybe she did care a little about the last part, but frankly, she couldn't _stop_ herself from crying.

She couldn't recall the last time she had cried- at all. Actually, she could. It was the last time she broke up with Dean.

But so much had happened since then and she had put on a brave face and completely ignored her emotions. She had "lost" a wonderful and caring stepfather. Her grandfather had become absolutely miserable and his mood was affecting everyone around him. Her father had replaced her and her mother with Sherry.

Losing Dean had just been the last straw. Even though he had been a huge jerk in the end, he had still been her first kiss, her first boyfriend, and her first love- not to mention a huge part of her life. And that was the reason her built-up emotions were let loose. She knew she would miss just having him around.

It was at this point that Rory became conscious of the fact that Tristan had his arms around her tight, doing his best to comfort her. He was mumbling things that she assumed were to try to console her, but she could not grasp what he was actually saying.

As her tears started to subside, she could finally hear what Tristan was saying.

"You're going to be all right. Don't let what he said get to you. You're not stupid. God, you're as far from it as can be!" Tristan let out a short laugh. "I should have kicked that moron's ass when I had the chance." He swallowed some other choice words about Dean that he knew Rory wouldn't appreciate, especially at this point in time. "Anyway, you're going to be fine. You're strong; you prove that every time you stand up to Paris. And if you can get past Paris being Paris, then you can definitely get past this. Just…don't let it bother you."

Rory caught the worried tone in his voice so she guessed this would probably be a good time to say something to assure Tristan she was not having a mental breakdown.

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and did as best as she could to wipe her tears away. Tristan stopped talking the moment she lifted her head. He gazed at her solemnly, his eyes darting over her face for signs that she was okay.

"Hey," Rory said croakily. She cleared her throat.

"Hey," Tristan replied quietly. He was still staring at her searchingly. "You okay?"

Rory swallowed and looked to the ground. She nodded slightly. "Sorry I got all girly and teary."

"You don't have to apologize for that." Tristan gave her a small smile.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but…" Rory trailed off for a moment in thought. She decided to just get to the point. "What are you doing here?"

Tristan's heart sunk and his smile fell.

"Not that I mind. In fact, I'm pretty glad you're here. It's just… Yeah, we have been getting along better, but I just didn't expect you to be the one to come and rush to find me," Rory explained.

Tristan was left speechless. Just when he thought she didn't want to even _look_ at him, she said something to make him just about trip over himself in realization of how utterly amazing this girl was- and she didn't even know it. He cleared his throat and managed to put together a sentence.

"You know how yesterday we had that whole heart to heart, and you told me you were worried about me hanging out with Duncan and Bowman?" When Rory nodded, he continued. "And how you said that you cared about me?"

"Care," Rory automatically corrected, without blinking.

Tristan gave her a half-smile. "Right. Care."

He paused for another moment before going on. "Well, take this situation as a sign of me saying the feeling's mutual."

A slow smile appeared on Rory's face as they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

During this time, Rory thoughts turned to one subject, or rather, one person: Tristan. Just the previous day, they had been yelling and saying hurtful things to one another. Today, she had practically jumped into his arms and cried her eyes out. It seemed like this…friendship? Well, whatever this was…was happening so fast when she thought of everything that had happened in terms of how long it had transpired.

But in her mind, she felt like it was completely natural. Yesterday, she had seen the good side of Tristan. The compassionate side he had briefly shown her that one night a year ago after their respective breakups. She realized that this boy just wanted someone to talk to, to listen, and to be there for him. He was the clichéd poor rich boy that she had suspected he was this entire time. Her talk with him last night hinted at this fact numerous times. Why else would he go around doing reckless and stupid things with Duncan and Bowman? Certainly the reason was that he just wanted _someone_ to give him some attention.

She knew next to nothing about him, his family, his beliefs, or his life. She did not know his favorite color, movie, band, or book. Hell, she didn't know if he _liked_ to read. But at the same time, she felt she knew enough about him to know that he was a decent person and a loyal friend. His actions from the past hour alone proved that.

Rory felt that no matter how much she learned about him, knowing those two facts were really all that mattered. It did not matter that he could be a jerk, a pain in the ass, or incredibly cruel when provoked.

She also got the feeling that now that they were being civil to each other, he would do anything he could to try (and she would too) to keep them from going back to how they used to be with all the screaming and arguing. Especially since it seemed he did not have any real, true friends.

The sensation of Tristan's hand on her cheek brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality.

She met his eyes and gave him a small smile as she placed her hand on top of his.

"Thanks for being here for me," she whispered, gazing into his eyes intently.

"Anytime," he declared.

Rory's smile widened.

"Do you…want to talk about it?" Tristan asked hesitantly.

"No, not really." Rory knew he really didn't want to be the one for her to talk to about this, but she was touched he had offered. Besides, she had her mother to help her through the crappy part of the break-up.

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset," His brow was scrunched together in concern and Rory could not help but notice how attractive it made him look.

"Yeah. It wasn't so much of the break up really, since I knew it's been coming for a while, but a combination of things. I bottle up my emotions and it ends up like this."

"Well, that's not good. You should try to work on that," Tristan told her. Then something else Rory had said registered in his mind. "Wait, so you didn't break up with him just because of tonight?" he asked, surprise seeping in his voice.

"No, actually," she sighed. "Things _haven't_ been so good between us. Dean has been pretty clingy lately, especially since Luke's nephew, Jess, showed up. And as I said, the caveman act was getting tiring. I couldn't even look at another guy without Dean feeling threatened."

"But you told me things were going really well for you two," he accused lightheartedly.

"I know I did. I didn't really want to admit to myself that things weren't good. I didn't want to risk getting into a fight with Dean since I hate fighting with anyone. But, during the past few weeks, we had been fighting a lot, and over stupid things."

"I see," Tristan said shortly. Another silence ensued.

"Hey, what are you doing now?" Rory asked Tristan, her eyes lighting up.

Tristan's concerned look turned into one of inquiry. "Nothing, why?"

"You're not going anywhere?"

"Nope; I was just planning on going home."

"You should come to Luke's with us to celebrate the end of Paris's rule over our lives!"

"Luke's?" Tristan questioned.

"It's this diner in Stars Hollow. Luke makes the _best_ coffee and burgers." Rory's eyes practically glazed over.

Tristan chuckled. "Sounds like fun."

"So this is the infamous Luke's?" Tristan asked, looking around the diner as he, Sookie, Lorelai, and Rory walked through the door together, a bell chiming over their heads. He took in the minimal decorations, occasional customer, and the man in the flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap behind the counter who was fixing a watch. "It feels so…laidback." When the others gave him a questioning glance, he added, "In a good way." His voice took a softer tone. "A very good way."

"Damn straight, mister," Rory quipped, casually throwing her jacket on the back of the chair closest to the door.

"_Hey, you guys get a table. I'll be right there_," Lorelai said, her eyes fixed on Luke. She didn't wait for a reply before walking over to the counter.

"O-kay…" Rory said, confused. "What was that about?" she asked as everyone took a seat at a table.

"Well, I told your oblivious mother about how Luke feels about her dating that one guy," Sookie supplied.

"Guy? What guy?" Tristan asked, confused.

"She went out with this guy from her business class earlier this week. And yesterday, he came into the diner with his mom and dad. Let's just say that he had a South Park shirt on and looked around our age." (A/N: Okay, I hate to disrupt the story, but was it just me, or did that guy not look _that_ young?)

Tristan stifled a laugh. "Oh, really?"

"Yep. But mom _swears_ he normally looks older," Rory said disbelievingly.

"And Luke over there," Sookie pointed to the beloved diner owner. "Wasn't too thrilled that Lorelai, as I told her before we left Chilton, would date everyone in the world before him."

"Huh," Rory stated. "Didn't actually think about it that far. I just thought that he was really, really, really, really jealous." She bobbed her head with each "really" to stress her point.

"Luke has a crush on your mom?"

"Yup. That man right there, my newly found friend, has been pining for Lorelai for years, through all her problems, relationships, relationship problems…" Sookie trailed off as Tristan's cell phone rang.

"Hey, Richie Rich," Luke called out. When Tristan looked to Luke, the diner owner pointed to a no cell phones sign. "If you take that call, it's gonna be outside."

Tristan glanced to Rory and Sookie. "I'll be back in a minute." He smiled and picked up his jacket before going outside.

"Finally!" Sookie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "So that was Tristan? Bible Boy? Spawn of Satan?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes Sookie, that's him."

"Well, he's not as mean as you described," Sookie said.

"No, it seems he's capable of being nice, too. But this is a completely new discovery, so I don't know the extent of his niceness capabilities," Rory joked.

"It just goes to show, first impressions are not always right," Sookie said mock sagely. "However, you never mentioned how…not ugly he is," Sookie added suggestively as she nudged Rory's arm.

"Oh, stop it Sookie," Rory said playfully as she rolled her eyes. "I expected this from Miss Patty, not you."

"Oh, come on, Rory! Sure, you said he's all Hugh Hefner with the girls of Chilton, which implied that he was good looking, but you never mentioned he's movie-star gorgeous." Sookie rambled, looking over Rory's shoulder as the blue-eyed girl rolled her eyes. "And speaking of Miss Patty…"

Rory turned in her seat to see Tristan talking to Miss Patty. "Oh, dear," Rory muttered before she dashed outside. Tristan turned at the sound of the bell. He was completely serene, the total opposite of the terrified expression that she expected to be greeted with.

"Hi, Miss Patty," Rory greeted politely. "Tristan." She said his name as more of a question, as she was not sure why he wasn't running for the hills.

"Oh, hello dear," Miss Patty replied, not taking her eyes off Tristan. "I was just getting to know your fine, _fine_ friend here." Miss Patty let her eyes wander over Tristan's body at an excruciatingly slow rate as she took a drag from her always-present cigarette. Rory shuddered, but Tristan didn't so much as blink.

"Well then," Rory said uncomfortably. "I'm gonna steal Tristan here from you, if you don't mind."

Miss Patty looked crestfallen. "Oh, do you have to?" she protested.

Tristan chuckled. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Patricia," he told her, grinning. He turned to enter the diner.

"Oh, the pleasure was _all_ mine," Miss Patty said as she gazed at Tristan's…_ass_ets.

Rory controlled her urge to throw up. "Bye Miss Patty," she told the woman.

"Bye Rory, tell your friend to come by again." Miss Patty called over her shoulder as she walked away.

Rory went into the diner once again, shutting the door behind her. "Coffee!" she whined, plopping back down in her seat with a slight pout. Tristan smirked at her.

"Jess, get down here!" Luke yelled up the stairs.

A few moments later, Jess came down the stairs, running his hands through his hair. "Yes, Uncle Luke?" Jess asked in mock respect.

"Get Rory some coffee," Luke told him, pointing over to Rory's table. Jess looked to where Luke pointed.

"Who's the guy?" Jess asked.

"Some kid from Rory's school."

"Now what would our dear, local stock boy have to say about that?"

"Nothing," Lorelai said shortly. "He and Rory broke up tonight. So, if you don't want your eyes gauged out, don't mention it." Lorelai flashed Jess a sarcastic smile.

"Huh," Jess replied before Luke started asking details about the breakup, demanding to know if he had to strangle Dean once again. He moved to get the coffee pot. As he approached Rory's table, he caught the end of the conversation.

"Ugh, please, just kill me now," Rory said, obviously disgusted by something. Sookie simply laughed.

"Now, Mary. You say this as though you don't think I'm worthy of being checked out by an older woman," the unfamiliar guy joked.

"Tristan. I don't think you're worthy of being checked out by an older woman," Rory stated bluntly. She looked up at Jess when she smelled coffee nearby.

"Jess-I-don't-know-your-middle-name-Mariano! I love you!" Rory exclaimed, practically drooling at the site of the full coffee pot.

"Huh," Jess repeated for the second time in the past minute. "Why, I _love_ you too, Rory."

Rory sat staring at the empty mug on the tabletop as she waited for Jess to fill it up. The other two occupants of the table sat in silence, entertained by the site in front of them. When Jess did not fill up her mug, Rory looked up at him. "It's still empty." She pouted. "I don't get it," she said as she turned to Tristan. "He has the coffee but he won't give it to me." When Jess continued to stand there, Rory snapped. "Okay, I'm done with the cutesy stuff, either fill er up, or I'm stealing all your Clash CD's. And your Metallica shirt," she said menacingly through narrowed eyes.

Jess's eyes widened slightly and he swiftly filled her mug to the brim. "Sookie?" Sookie shook her head.

"I'm gonna so see Jackson. No doubt he feels neglected," Sookie said and gathered her things. Sookie waved goodbye to Lorelai before she left.

"What about you, Richie Rich? Coffee?"

Rory giggled.

"What?" Jess asked in confusion.

"Aw, that's so cute, Luke's rubbing off on you!" Rory said as she moved to pinch his cheek. When Jess dodged her hand and continued to look confused, she supplied an explanation. "Luke called him that about five minutes ago. By the way, Jess this is Tristan. Tristan, this is Jess, Luke's nephew."

Before the two males could exchange greetings, Luke stomped over to the table, fuming. "He called you **_stupid_**!?" Luke demanded.

"Luke…" Rory said weakly, not wanting to relive the fight.

"Just answer the question, Rory. Did he call you stupid?"

"Luke, come on…" Lorelai urged, tugging at the man's arm. "Now's not the time," she said gently.

"I'm guessing that's a yes. Damn it, I'll kick his ass, I swear. Not just a lousy headlock…" Luke muttered, walking back to the counter with Lorelai to get the rest of the details.

"So…" Tristan said to break the tense silence. "I'm assuming Luke would join my Let's Throw Rocks at Bag Boy Club?"

"Bag boy? I like that," Jess said thoughtfully.

"Three members!" Tristan said, pumping his fist through the air in mock victory as the diner door opened with a chime.

Rory cracked a weak smile.

"Jess! Customers!" Luke shouted. Jess rolled his eyes, and turned his head to glare at Luke properly.

"What am I, your sla-" Jess abruptly shut up as Luke pointed to a table with two pretty girls. One was a bleach-blonde wearing a pink shirt while the other, in sharp contrast, a brunette in a Ramones shirt. The brunette examined her dark colored nails, obviously bored, as the blonde spoke rapidly, casting lustful glances at Tristan.

"My pleasure," Jess muttered under his breath, eyeing the brunette.

A thought struck Rory and she eagerly brought up the subject, hoping to move the subject from anything Dean-related. "Who was that on the phone, Tristan?"

"It seems my former sidekicks have had their cars, credit cards, and other rich boy toys taken away," Tristan said nonchalantly. "Oh, and they've been sent to prep school in Switzerland with explicit instructions that should they get into an iota of trouble, they will be disinherited and disowned," he added with a smirk.

"What?!" Rory exclaimed with widened bright blue eyes. "What did they _do_?"

"They broke into Bowman's dad's safe. Actually, I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be on my way to military school in North Carolina on daddy's wishes. But I doubt the girls would mind when I came back," he stated smugly as he pretended to flex his arms.

Suddenly, there was a loud, obnoxious giggle from the other side of the diner. Both Tristan and Rory turned to see the source of the laugh: the blonde sitting with the brunette that had grabbed Jess's attention. Jess himself was sitting backwards on a chair next to the brunette. He looked over to Tristan and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Hayley, he is _so_ funny!" the blonde exclaimed overenthusiastically, touching Jess on the shoulder.

Jess shrugged away from her touch and moved his chair even closer to the girl supposedly named Hayley.

"Jess! Stop flirting with the customers and get back to work!" Luke scolded. Jess got up from his chair, twirled it the right way and stuck it under the adjacent table. Meanwhile, the blonde had continued her cackling.

Rory tried to stifle her laughter, but failed, and in doing so, brought the blonde's attention to her and Tristan's table. The blonde gave her a malicious glare that immediately shut Rory up. Tristan was now the one trying to control his chuckles.

"More coffee, Rory?" Jess asked in an attempt to save her from behind the counter. His smirk, however, showed that he was actually enjoying seeing Rory flustered.

"Uh, no thanks," she replied meekly as she fiddled with the handle of the mug.

When she looked up, she saw the fake blonde standing next to the table, staring down at Tristan.

"Hi, my name's Britney," she said in what she must have thought was a seductive voice.

"How fitting," Rory muttered under her breath. "Spear Britney, spear Britney…" she chanted in just above a whisper. Tristan smiled, having heard Rory.

The blonde, however, took his smile as a sign of encouragement. "What's yours?" she asked, leaning over so Tristan could get a good view of her breasts from the extremely low cut of her pink shirt.

He looked her in the eye. "The name's Tristan," he said with a smile sure to make any girl-except for Rory, of _course_- swoon. He did not move his eyes downward a millimeter.

"That's a nice name," she purred, practically crawling onto Tristan's lap as she trailed her pointer finger down his firm chest. Over Britney's shoulder, Tristan could see Rory making gagging motions. "You got a last name?"

"Dugrey," he told her while struggling not to laugh at Rory's antics.

Britney's eyes widened and she quickly attempted to straddle him. "Oh, really?" she breathed. There was no doubt she knew just how powerful that name was. Tristan suddenly looked glum.

"Britney, we're leaving," Hayley called, standing up from the table she had been sitting at by herself.

Rory looked to the ceiling dramatically. "Thank you!" she mouthed with her arms outstretched upward.

"Oh, come on, little sister, lighten up!" she whined. "I just made a new friend. His name's Tristan, Tristan _Dugrey._" Britney made sure to stress his last name.

Alex stared back at Britney, obviously not caring _who_ he was. "I'm leaving. If you want to explain to mom and dad why you're breaking school-night curfew, go ahead. But I'm going home. Jess here thinks that _Old Man and the Sea_ is better than _A Farewell to Arms_, so I want to do some reading." She walked over to Jess who was standing behind the counter. "Bye, Jess. I'll come by here tomorrow to continue our little Hemingway debate." She smiled somewhat shyly (which was completely unlike the confident persona she projected), leaned over the counter and pecked him on the lips before swiftly walking out the door. Britney soon followed, albeit reluctantly.

Silence ensued. Jess turned to Luke and Lorelai, who gazed at him in question. "Huh," he stated in explanation and then went upstairs.

"So…That Britney was just one hell of a girl, wasn't she?" Rory said sarcastically with a hint of jealousy.

"Yep, she reminds me of Angela at school. You know that girl I dated last month? Fake blonde hair, always sticking her chest out and throwing herself at anything male…"

"Yeah, but does Angela straddle someone's lap after being introduced for less than five seconds?"

Tristan thought for a moment. "No, it's more like fifteen seconds."

"Ah, then Britney is the girl for you. You don't have to wait the extra ten seconds," Rory said bitterly.

Tristan was taken aback- and hurt- by Rory's statement. He heard her sigh in regret.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Oh, really? Than what _did_ you mean? Because please- don't hold back on my account." He met Rory's eyes with his now stormy blue-gray ones.

"It just reminds me of all the times I go to my locker and see you pushing some girl against it. And since we're out of school, I forgot about that. Our precious friend Britney had to remind me."

Tristan calmed down a bit, realizing where she was coming from. "I understand," he said quietly.

"Do you forgive me?" Rory asked timidly.

Tristan stared at her and then sighed. "Of course I do. But just to let you know, I'm going to try to take your advice and look for a girl with substance."

"Oh really?" Rory asked in interest. "Does that mean…?"

"NO! Not Paris!" Tristan cried, his eyes widening. He took a deep breath. "Someone who's smart," he said, gazing at Rory intensely. She looked down at her lap, blushing slightly, before returning her eyes to his. "Funny. Caring. Beautiful- I don't mean on the outside. On the inside." He paused, staring deeply into her eyes. "Someone who doesn't care about money." His peaceful expression turned tense. "Someone who doesn't care about my name."

"Hey…" Rory said, noticing Tristan's irritated mood. "What's wrong?"

Tristan was quiet for about ten seconds. "It really _sucks_," he declared finally. "That no matter _where_ I go, whether it's Hartford or little ol' _Stars Hollow_, my last name follows me."

"I…had no idea you felt that way," Rory said slowly.

"Yeah, well, I do," he said, still fuming.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, my mother and I think of you as Bible Boy," Rory offered in an attempt to calm him.

He smiled a wry smile. "A little. I just hate that my father's reputation defines _me_ as well."

"Don't allow it to. What's your dad like, anyway? I've never heard anything about him."

Tristan smiled, his anger dissipating. "You really are a small town girl, you know that?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "He's a hotshot surgeon in Hartford."

"That wasn't my question. I asked what he's like, not what his job is."

"I'll let you know when I find out myself," Tristan said, his eyes on his coffee mug. He looked back up at Rory after a moment to see a sympathizing expression on her face. "It's not that he's a bad person or anything. It's just…he's all work, work, society parties, work, and society parties. I don't spend much time with him," he clarified. "What about yours? I assume you don't live with your dad since I doubt he would like Lorelai dating other guys, especially ones so young."

"It's a pretty long story," she said.

"I don't mind."

Rory looked at him in slight distrust.

Tristan realized the reason for her scrutiny. "I'm not going to tell anyone, just like how I trust you're not going to tell anyone my personal stuff." He stuck his pinky finger out with a small smile. He knew he didn't have to worry about Rory making fun of the childish gesture. "Do we have a deal?"

She returned the smile and hooked her pinky with his after thinking for a second. "Deal." She paused for a few moments to gather her thoughts.

"My mom and dad knew each other practically their whole lives. But for the purpose of your sanity, I'll fast forward the story to when they were sixteen…"

And they sat there, in Luke's diner, exchanging life stories, opinions, random subjects and laughs until closing time, not noticing that Lorelai had left with a smile in their direction an hour beforehand.

**Author's End Note:** So this chapter was kind of a filler chapter, although some details are important. I don't think this chapter was as good as last's as a whole, but I did like some things I did cover in this one such as Rory and Tristan getting to know each other better. Let me know what you think! You know, by reviewing? Pwease? With ice cream and cherries and Tristan on top?


End file.
